Burghausen Castle as viewed from the West.

Burghausen Castle from the West

Closer view of Burghausen Castle from the West.

Burghausen Castle as viewed from the East. In the foreground is the Salzach River, which forms the border between Germany & Austria.

Another view, from Austria, of Burghausen Castle from across the Salzach River.

St. Jakob Kirche in the foreground with Burghausen Castle on the hill behind it. This view is from Austria, looking across the Salzach River.

A view of the town of Burghausen from atop a hill in neighboring Austria.

Main palace of Burghausen Castle, emcompassing the 1st and 2nd Courtyards. This castle complex has a total of six courtyards.

Another view of the town of Burghausen, from across the Salzach River, in Austria. You can get a sense of the length of Burghausen Castle, at over 1 kilometer in length. This makes it the longest castle in Europe.

A nice view of Burghausen with a view of St. Jakob's Kirche, with its 78 meter high tower.

The Pulverturm, or Powder Tower to the West of the main part of Burghausen Castle. In the foreground is Woehrsee, a lake cut from the riverbed of the the Salzach River at the end of the last Ice Age, when the river changed its course.

St. Jakob Kirche, viewed from its West side. This parish church was first consecrated in 1140. In 1353 it burned & was rebuilt, only to be destroyed by fire again in 1503. Construction of the tower was began in 1470 and was completed with a Baroque style steeple in the 1700s.

View of the main palace of Burghausen Castle from below the outer wall.

The western defenses of Burghausen Castle with the Powder Tower in the distance.

Dual Coats of Arms at the entrance of the 2nd courtyard of Burghausen Castle. This represents the alliance between George of Bavaria & Hedwig of Poland. The left panel features the Bavarian Coat of Arms with lions, while the right panel features the Polish Coat of Arms with a white eagle.

Moated entrance to the 1st Courtyard of Burghausen Castle. The moat below the bridge is now empty, but was 8 meters deep & 27 meters wide.

View of the outer wall, protecting the main palace of Burghausen Castle.

Thick outer walls protect the inner sanctum of the main palace of the Burghausen Castle complex.

Western defenses of Burghausen Castle. Woehrsee is seen on the right.

Powder Tower and western defense walls of Burghausen Castle.

Bridge spanning what was once a moat that had to be crossed to gain entry into the innermost palace of Burghausen Castle.

Baroque steeple of St. Jakob Kirche.

Buttressed outer wall.

Sculpture depicting St. George slaying the dragon. This is part of a large collection in the Burghausen Stadtmuesum, housed inside Burghausen Castle.

This shot was taken from atop an observation platform on the roof of the main palace of Burghausen Castle. From this vantage point, one can see the massive expanse of the castle complex to the North.

Another shot from the palace roof. The steeple of St. Jakob's Kirche below seems almost as tall as the castle tower.

View of the Salzach River valley from atop the palace roof. In the distance the Marienberg pilgrimage church can be seen.

View of the Kemenate from within the innermost courtyard of Burghausen Castle. This staircase leads into the area of the castle that contained the rooms reserved for women & children.

View of the cobblestone inner courtyard of the main palace of Burghausen Castle. Twin staircases are on the left and right. The one on the left leads into a Gothic hall which was used as a knights dining hall. The staircase on the right leads into the quarters reserved for women & children. An arched passageway connects the two sides of the palace. Note the crest of Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria which bears the date 1523.

View of St. Jakob church steeple from inside the innermost courtyard of Burghausen Castle.

Looking to the West from the bridge that once spanned a moat seperating the courtyard from the main palace of Burghausen Castle.

Bridge leading into the outer gate of the main palace of Burghausen Castle. Emperor Napoleon of France stood on this bridge and viewed the town of Burghausen below. He is said to have exclaimed "Voila, la ville souteraine!", meaning "Oh what a subterranean town!".

The main palace of Burghausen Castle in all its majesty.

Cobblestone path inside the outer defense wall of Burghausen Castle. This leads to the town of Burghausen and Salazch River below.

Another shot of St. Jackob's kirche & the town of Burghausen taken on the descent from the castle.

A "pepper castor" along the eastern castle wall. There are three such towers which were once armed with cannons.

Looking up at a "pepper castor".

Towers, towers, towers!

Narrow, medieval street in Burghausen.

Interior & alter of St. Jakob Kirche.

Altstadt (old town) of Burghausen with the walls & towers of Burghausen Castle looming above.

Fountain and cobblestone streets of Burghausen.

View of the heart of Burghausen. To the right, the yellow building is Tauffkirchen Palace, which played host to Napoleon in 1809. At the far end of the picture is St. Josef Jesuit Church.

Tauffkirchen Palace (1736), in Burghausen. Emperor Napoleon of France arrived in Burghausen on April 28, 1809 with an army of 100,000 men. For 4 days, Napoleon resided in Tauffkirchen Palace, in the market square.

The charming cobblestone look of Burghausen, with St. Jakob Kirche in the distance. Several open-air cafes line the street.

Jesuit church of St. Josef, Burghausen.

Marienburg Pilgrimage Church, above the Salzach Valley. A church has been on this site since 1203. The present construction dates from 1760-1764.

Marienberg Pilgrimage Church features a Rococo interior, hailed as one of the finest examples in Southern Bavaria.

Burghausen Castle, as viewed from across the Salzach valley in Marienberg.

Burghausen Castle, viewed from Marienberg Pilgrimage Church. From here, you can see the incredible 1 kilometer plus length of the castle, making it the longest in Europe.